Change
by MaydayParade8123
Summary: Part I of "Punk!Percy Adventures." Percy decides to be punk and Annabeth decides he has her attention. Percy x Annabeth. Rated T for teenage situations/language.


_Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or any bands, characters, or songs mentioned._

;;;

Percy's tried flowers. He's tried blood red roses, expensive chocolate, sweet letters—he's even gone as far as singing her a song (which, he's not an amazing singer, but he can carry a tune. Besides, he reasons, it's the thought that counts). As far as he's concerned, he had tried everything in the book to get Annabeth Chase to fall for him.

She accepted the flowers, but didn't call the number he had scrawled on the card that came with them. She took the chocolates, but he later saw her friend Piper picking at them. She read the letters, but he watched her fold it up and push it into the bottom of her backpack. She only smiled when he sang her the song, saying a simple, "Thanks."

Percy's been blown off before. He knew the sting of it. But with Annabeth—it never seemed like she was right out saying no to him. It seemed more like a you have my attention, but you'll have to try a little harder.

And that explains why Percy's leaning too far back in his desk chair, staring at the ceiling fan and brainstorming ideas. "Maybe lilies?" he suggested to himself aloud, soon after shaking his head. Annabeth wasn't superficial. She didn't want things. She wanted something else, but he had yet to figure out what it was.

"It's not worth it" seemed to be what everyone thought. Today had been his last day of his sophomore year, and he'd come to the conclusion that they were right. He'd been pining hopelessly after Annabeth for too long. It was almost exhausting.

Not that he'd stop liking her, as if. But he would stop trying to make her like him. Like his friend Luke always told him: if it happens, then good, but don't worry if it doesn't.

Percy decided that this summer he wanted to change. He'd been boring old Percy for too long. Maybe he could become a jock, or maybe hipster. With a sigh, he glanced at his closet, seeing a lot of blue shirts—almost too many. But, there was something else in his closet, right at the bottom. Something he'd almost completely forgotten about.

"My skateboard," Percy mused aloud, wondering if he still had the skill he had two years ago. It seemed like a good a time as any to test it out; Paul had to stay late at the school and his mom wouldn't be home for a few more hours. He rolled it out from underneath his hanging clothing, holding it by the truck.

Slipping his phone into his back pocket, Percy started down the stairs and immediately dropped it to the ground, starting out slowly at first. Once the sidewalks became too crowded, he made the decision to go to the park nearby and attempt to regain his skater skills. After around an hour, he had mostly gotten the hang of it again, even managing to complete a few tricks.

After checking the time and seeing that his mom had texted him and asked where he was, Percy decided to take a short break, stepping on the end of his board. After he messaged her back with a quick "I'm on my way home, was at the park", he heard a giggle.

Glancing up quickly, he met eyes with a girl who had to be around 13 smiling up at him. "Hey," he said, waving at her.

"You look silly," she told him, laughing childishly again.

"And why's that?"

"Because. Your clothes are normal but you have Converse on and your headphones in and you're on a skateboard. All the boys who skateboard at my school wear a lot of black." Percy raised an eyebrow, confused. Did he have to wear certain clothes to skateboard? Was that a thing? "I don't mean to be rude," she said quickly, seeing his expression. "But… you'd maybe look… nice like that." She blushed and smiled awkwardly, hurrying away as quick as she'd appeared.

He stared after her for a moment, baffled and then—it hit him. Percy wouldn't be hipster. He wouldn't be a pretty boy. His idea had come in the form of a twelve year-old girl.

Percy was going to be punk.

;;

Percy Jackson looked in the mirror, more than tired. But today, today was different. He was excited for the first day of school.

All summer long, Percy had slowly been altering his look. Within the first month, he had four piercings and a completely different hairstyle. When he'd come home with half of his hair chopped off and a vibrant indigo coloring the tips of his hair, his mother had nearly had an aneurysm. Her look when he came home with a pierced lip was even better.

Sally had never been one to tell her son how to dress, so she let him decide for himself. But still, she had to question if she was being a little too lenient. When Percy came home with a hopeful look and a question on his lips, she immediately said no. Lucky that she did, too, since he was hoping she'd sign a waiver for him to get a tattoo.

And now, dressed in black jeans with just the right amount of tears, his hair gelled up in the way his hair stylist suggested and a t-shirt from a band he'd heard quite a few songs by, Percy just hoped he was convincing. People always changed over the summer, he reasoned. He just did a complete 360.

Percy had always been the all-or-nothing type, though. Never very subtle. Besides, he actually loved his hair, especially the blue at the ends. And the jeans weren't too bad either. They were so customary that he actually preferred them now. Plus, he already listened to a lot of the music classified as punk-pop before he changed his look. It was probably only a matter of time before he ended up dressing like this.

As the finishing touch, he clicked play on his iPod, which was full of songs he'd discovered over the summer with a few he'd known before tossed in. He turned it up just loud enough to be heard, pushing one earphone in and sliding the device in his back pocket.

"Time to go," Paul said, leaning in his doorframe and tapping the door twice. "First day of junior year, huh?"

"I don't look stupid, right?" he questioned, ignoring the questions.

Paul, ever honest, shrugged. "I'm used to it now. It was a little weird at first, but you've been like this all summer."

"So, I'm good?" Percy asked, tying his left Converse. Luckily, he'd been wearing the brand forever, so that's one thing that didn't change.

"You look fine, Percy," Paul assured him. "I didn't know going through your punk phase would bring along the drama queen phase, too."

The black-haired boy scowled. That's another thing that had happened over the summer, Percy started to scowl and look angry a lot more often. "I'm not going through a phase. It's who I am."

;;

People stared, and Percy kept walking, nodding his head to the song playing—something by Pierce the Veil, maybe? He wasn't positive. When Luke glanced down the hall and caught eyes with his friend (though more of an acquaintance), his mouth dropped open. "Oh my fucking God," he said blatantly, walking over to Percy. "You did not," he whispered. "You did not do this. Please tell me this is a dream."

The boy who had seemingly had an over-the-summer transformation from nobody Percy Jackson with a friendly attitude and a clueless smile into, well, what he was now, barely grunted in reply. Luke elbowed him with force, and Percy's eyes flared with a glare he'd never seen from the other boy. "What the fuck do you want, Castellan?"

Everyone in the hallway gasped loudly at the friends who looked close to fighting. Even Annabeth Chase had to see what all the commotion was as she peeled her eyes from her book. Seeing Luke and a new kid about to fight, both of her eyebrows went into her hairline. Luke could be a jerk sometimes, but he never fought with anyone. "What happened with the new kid?" she asked Piper, standing up from her place before her locker.

Piper laughed lightly, almost as though she were confused. "That's not… a new kid?"

Annabeth's eyebrows furrowed as she stared at the back of the guy. "I'm pretty sure he's new. I've never seen him."

Piper shook her head. "How would he know Luke's name?"

The thought made Annabeth freeze, because she was absolutely right. "Maybe they're… cousins or something?"

"Doubtful," the brunette muttered, cocking her head to the side as she watched the two guys.

"Look, listen to me, Jackson," Luke said deprecatingly. Annabeth inhaled sharply as it dawned on her—the broad shoulders yet lanky frame with drool-worthy arms. She should have known from the start. "This is the dumbest thing you've ever done."

"Whatever, man," Percy said, turning away from a fight that wasn't even worth it. He came face to face with Annabeth, and her guess was confirmed. "Hey there, Annabeth." His tone contrasted his appearance.

"Yeah, hi," she answered, glancing him up and down. Had his eyes always been that blue? It must have been the coloring in his hair. "You look different."

"That was the plan," he said softly, giving her a smirk that she'd seen before—it was nice to see that not everything changed. Percy walked off a moment later, after looking downward and back up, which made her realize how long his eyelashes were.

"He looks—"

"Hot," Annabeth finished, without a single bit of shame. Piper snorted in laughter, shaking her head. "He looks really hot."

"Ooh, Annabeth likes bad boys," Piper teased, knowing that Annabeth had to be joking. She watched Annabeth's eyes follow Percy until he disappeared into a classroom, and it made her eyes widen. "Wait, you aren't… You have to be—"

The blond pursed her lips, finally looking back to Piper. "I really don't think I am." The thought scared Annabeth a little, but wow, was it even possible for someone to become that much more attractive over one summer? "I mean, Percy's always been cute, but now he's just—"

"Hot," Piper finished for her. "Yeah, you said that. I never knew you had a thing for guys like that."

"Hot guys? Doesn't every girl have a thing for hot guys?"

"That's not what I meant and you know it," the brunette deadpanned. "I meant, you know, punky guys."

"I like different guys," Annabeth corrected. "People who don't blend in with a crowd."

"Go to a rock concert with him," Piper joked, "he'll blend in."

The blond refocused her attention on her book. "I'm just saying. Percy looks different, and it's not a bad different." The bell rang, telling her and Piper both to get to class and they bid each other goodbye.

Dutifully, Annabeth walked to her first period—English III, thank god she had something easy. When she entered the room, she saw the new-and-improved Percy sitting in the back corner, tapping his pencil to what had to be the beat of his song as he stared around boredly. Someone made a jibe at him, and the now punk boy laughed, calling their name. Jake, the rude guy, turned to him, rolling his eyes and raising two eyebrows. "Hey, do me a favor?" Percy asked politely. "Fuck off. Thanks."

Jake's face went red, and he probably would have started yelling at Percy if Annabeth didn't step in. "So, Percy, what's with the new… stuff?" He scratched the back of his neck and it brought attention to the fact that his cartilage was pierced three times. Annabeth almost bit her lip to keep from making an inhumane noise. So, maybe, punk boys were a bit of a fetish for her. A little. He started biting his lip as he fidgeted with his lip ring, and she pulled in a deep breath. Alright, so punk boys were a big fetish, it appeared.

"I just wanted to try something different," he told her. "I mean, my t-shirt and jeans every-damn-day thing was getting old." He smirked at her, and Annabeth nearly blushed. "Now it's band t-shirt and jeans every day." She laughed along with him, and he stared at his desk for a moment. "I mean, my style's still a bit shit, I suppose—"

"No, no," Annabeth said quickly, shaking her head. "It's really not. It's very… you. You look… good." She decided, waving at him as the bell rang and shuffling to a front row seat.

And she never saw it, but the result was a blushing boy absentmindedly twisting all of his bracelets in the back of the room.

;;;

_Part II is titled 'Blood.'_


End file.
